<p>Researchers performed a systematic review of randomized clinical trials and found using preoperative erythropoietin-stimulating agents increased hemoglobin levels in patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty.</p><p>“Erythropoietin improves postoperative hemoglobin levels and decreases the need for allogeneic blood transfusion in patients undergoing hip or knee surgery,” Khalid Alsaleh, MD, and colleagues wrote in the study.</p><p>Alsaleh and colleagues evaluated 26 trials with 3,560 participants who underwent unilateral, bilateral, primary or revision hip or knee arthroplasty, according to the abstract. Patients were given erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) preoperatively and compared with patients undergoing similar surgeries who received preoperative autologous blood donation, intravenous iron or placebo.</p><p>Receiving preoperative ESAs increased hemoglobin levels in that patient group. Between the ESA group and the control groups, the mean hemoglobin level was 7.16 g/L. There was no significant difference between groups for the risk of thromboembolism, according to the abstract.</p>
Fellowship-Trained, Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon
Specialist in Hip & Knee Surgery
Dr. Smith is a fellowship-trained, Board Certified orthopaedic surgeon with extensive training in hip & knee surgery from the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota & the New Albany Surgical Hospital in New Albany, Ohio. He completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Michigan State University & medical school..